


Reformed

by FallenGravity



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: #yaoi #billdip, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5466878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenGravity/pseuds/FallenGravity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper and Mabel are now 24, and just graduated college. They get unexpected news from Stan to take over the Shack for him, only for him to plan his retirement after the party. And what could make this day any more confusing? A certain villian makes his appearance, claiming that he's not what he seems anymore. ....Or is he?</p>
<p>Contains: Yaoi and BillDip. Don't like, don't read.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dipper was driving down the streets of Gravity Falls in his new truck. He had recently bought it after he and his twin sister, Mabel, had graduated college, but saved the rest of the money for other things.

He couldn't believe that so many years had passed after he and Mabel decided to live in Gravity Falls for the rest of their lives after their summer ended back when they were 12. It still felt as if he was on summer vacation, though school had ended it here and there during high school and college.

He looked in the rear-view mirror of his truck, and adjusted his old, tattered Pine Tree hat. It was the last of his hats that he had kept back in the summer when he and Mabel first spent the summer in Gravity Falls. He didn't want to keep all of his hats, so he just kept one as a little souvenir, a memory.

"Oh no!" his brown eyes widened as he put the mirror back into place. "I have to hurry to the Mystery Shack. Mabel's waiting for me!"

Mabel shifted her balance from one foot to the other as she was sitting down on the porch at the entrance of the shack. She wore a thick-strapped tank top, with a lavender over shirt that revealed her left shoulder, and tilted slightly downwards to barely reveal her other shoulder. Along with the shirts, she wore a long purple skirt, long white socks, and black slip-on sneakers. Her yellow headband and triangle-shaped earrings finished off the look.

She looked up as she saw a truck appear near the Shack, and didn't know it was her brother, Dipper, until he stepped out of the truck. He didn't look as different as he did as his anxiety-driven, sweat problems tween self; except that beside his tattered hat, he wore a dark red, plaid button-up shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He had also grown a beard.

"Brobro!" Mabel ran towards him, hugging him tight, causing him to almost lose his balance, but also make his hat drop as well. He hugged her back in return before he released himself from it, and picked up his hat, putting it back on.

"Wow, snazzy truck." Mabel looked at her brother's automobile in awe, making a 3 with her lips.

Dipper laughed. "Thanks." he then remembered the "surprise". "Am I too late for this..'surprise' thing you've been wanting to show me?"

"Oh, no." Mabel locked her eyes on her twin brother. "In fact, you're just in time! It's a graduation party Grunkle Stan and Ford are holding for us! It says so on the banner!"

Dipper went to ask about the banner, but saw right away that it was put smack dab on the huge Mystery Shack logo that was put on the roof.

It read:

CONGRATULATIONS TO DIPPER AND MABEL FOR GRADUATING COLLEGE! WE'RE PROUD OF YOU.

From,

Grunkle Stan, Ford, and your parents

Dipper sighed out of embarrassment, though he felt honored for their Great Uncles and parents for doing this. But why right on the roof to where everyone can see it? he thought aside.

As Dipper and Mabel entered the Shack, they were taken aback by the crowd. Despite Waddle's coming to greet them the best he could with his walking problem, there was Wendy, Robbie and his fiancee Tamry; Pacifica, Gideon, Soos and his wife, Melody; Lazy Susan, Manly Dan himself, and of course, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford.

"Surprise!" the crowd spoke up in unison. Dipper and Mabel smiled warmly. Dipper had assumed that this was the surprise Mabel was talking about.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Dipper asked Grunkle Stan, who made his way out of the crowd. He still looked the same as ever, except a little hunched over and had a hairier grey beard.

"They couldn't make it because of work." Grunkle Stan told him. "Their job hours have been crazy the past few weeks, and they apologize for not being able to come, but they, including us, are proud of how far you've come in life."

"Aaaw shucks." Mabel blushed lightly, and made a shooing motion of her hand.

Dipper then met eyes with Wendy, who was 27 now. Her green eyes locked on his brown eyes, and the two looked away quickly. Dipper didn't notice the slight blush on the redhead's cheeks.

"Someone still has a crush on Wendy!" the brown-haired guy could hear his sister whisper to him with that knowing grin on her face.

Dipper shifted his eyes away from Mabel. "No, I do not..." he muttered.

All he saw was Mabel gave him her Yes-you-do-and-you-know-it look before she looked at the crowd.

"This party is going to be so much fun!!" she squealed, jumping up and down.

Stan was happy to see his great niece's excitement, as well as Dipper's, even though he was slightly embarrassed at Mabel using her usual teasing antics on him. "Well, let's start the party!" And with that, the party set into full swing.

About an hour has passed. Mabel and Pacifica were busy talking to each other about the usual girly topics, enjoying some fruit punch when Grunkle Stan came over to them.

"Say, Mabel." he spoke up, resting a hand on his niece's shoulder. "Since you and your brother are older, guess what I get to teach you?"

Mabel wasn't really sure, but decided to take a shot in the dark. "Scamming?"

"Nope." Stan smiled. "Even better. Cursing!"

Mabel should've known that the smile that appeared on her great uncle's lips wasn't a good one, but her and Pacifica gasped in horror, almost spilling their drinks.

"I'm just joshing you!" he removed his hand from Mabel's shoulder. His smile then turned upside down into a serious frown. "But I need you to do something important. Can you get your brother for me, please? I need to talk to him."

Mabel nodded to let Stan know that she understood, and waved to Pacifica as she walked away. She then made her way to find her brother, who was talking to Wendy in the living room.

Dipper asked her what Stan needed, which was represented by his confused look. Mabel shrugged in response. Dipper then left the room, leaving only Mabel and Wendy in there.

_____________________________________________________________________

"What?!" Dipper exclaimed. "You want Mabel and me to take over the Mystery Shack?"

Stan sighed, taking off his fez, resting it against his chest. "Let's face it, kid. Time has passed by us. Ford and I are getting older; same goes for you and your sister. I can't run this Shack forever. There has to come a time when I won't be able to run the Shack like I used to, and I'll have to depend on you guys to do it for me."

 

Dipper knew what he meant, but he couldn't help but feel heartbroken over this. "Grunkle Stan...you can't say things like that." he let out a deep sigh. "I know that you and Ford will end up dying in the future, but Mabel and I can't do this job by ourselves. We had problems back when you went on some vacation when we made a bet with you to raise a lot of money before you returned. You remember that, right?"

 

"Of course I do. But I believe, deep inside, that you and Mabel can do this. Yes, you had a few problems, which you just mentioned, but that means that there is always room for improvement. I'm sure you kids will do a great job, and will carry the legacy that my brother and I will leave behind when we pass."

 

He thrust his fez towards Dipper, who took it with a confusing look in his eyes. Dipper didn't know what else to do, so he held the fez close to him.

 

Silence came over the two of them, and stretched out for a long period of time.

 

"Sorry for getting onto the depressing subject there, kiddo," Stan broke the silence as he walked away from Dipper, "but I am being serious on this. ...We are counting on you two."

 

Stan patted Dipper on the back as he said that, but it felt more like a slap. The adult Pine Tree winced, rubbing his back with his hand. "It's alright....Grunkle..... Ow...."

_______________________________________________________________________

"No way!" Mabel tried to keep herself from squealing when she heard what Wendy told her. "You have feelings for Dipper?"

Wendy laughed, rubbing her right arm with her left hand. "Yeah...funny, isn't it? Dipper and I were the best of friends back when you guys first came here for the summer. We've always hit it off easier than my other friends, and we tend to make each other laugh. But since he is back....I see that he's changed, and though I said that I was too old for him....I didn't really mean it. So secretly, Dipper is like, my dream guy."

"I knew it." Mabel grinned. "You know what this means? It is time for Mabel the Matchma...Dipper?"

The enthusiastic woman stopped her sentence short when she saw Dipper at the entrance of the living room with a solemn look on his face. She noticed Stan's fez in his arms, and her eyebrows furrowed down in concern.

"Whoa, dude. What happened?" she asked him as she walked over to him, resting her hands on her hips. "It looks like you saw a dead rat floating in a paper boat on the river."

Dipper gave her a disgusted look. "N-No! It's not that, Mabel." he became serious, yet it was clear that the sorrow showed through it as well, mostly his heart. "...Stan...wants us to take over the Shack for him."

Mabel and Wendy's eyes widened in shock. "You can't be serious, dude." Wendy spoke up. "That's awesome!!"

"Yeah!" Mabel agreed, but her happy expression faded. "But why would he want to tell you that now, when we are having the time of our lives after finally getting out of school?"

"He wanted to tell me ahead of time." her bearded brother replied. "He had said that he and Ford's passing will occur one day, and he's depending on you and me to run the Shack for him."

Mabel crossed his arms, tilting her frown to the left. "Well, Stan and Ford are getting older, Dipper. Same goes for Waddles, and despite him having problems due to his age, I still love him lots. I'm guessing that he wants us to start running it after the party?"

"That's the problem." Dipper shifted his eyes to the right so they were locked on the recliner. "He didn't tell me when. I guess we'll have to see when that happens." he locked his eyes back on his sister's. "But honestly, I don't want to see Stan sad like this over his choice to choose us. He's done so much for us..."

Mabel rested a hand on her brother's shoulder, and gave him a warm smile. "Me neither. But we have to accept life the way it is.. Sometimes life can be a real annoying pain in the side, or it can be the BBF you never had."

"Also, if he stays on that decision to let you guys run it, I'll be more than happy to help you guys." Wendy added. "My father is still running his lumberjack business, so that means that I am still the cashier of the store."

"Really?" Dipper realized that his smile was more gleeful than it was supposed to be. "I mean, really?"

"Yeah." Wendy smirked. "Why would I want to take over for my father's business when I have you guys? This is like, my 2nd home...or favorite thing to do away from home, that is."

The Pine Tree had the urge to hug her, but felt his cheeks redden at the thought.

Just then, the redhead could hear her father calling her from the main room.

"Oh, that's my father. He needs me." she said to the twins as she exited the room. "See you dudes later!"

Dipper's eyes followed Wendy, but a quick jab in the arm from Mabel's elbow made them face her instead.

"Wendy and Dipper sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...." she teased him a singing voice.

Dipper felt his cheeks flush massively. "Mabel, stop it."

"First comes love, and then comes marriage, and then a baby in a baby carri--"

"Mabel, I said stop!"

Mabel held up her arms slightly in protest. "Whoa. Take a chill pill, bro!" She then thought about the whole new owners of the Shack thing. "Say, you know we can be called once we take over this store? The Shack Twins! Or...or...the Scammer Girl and her Nerdy Other Half!" She got into an eager position.

Dipper was in the same position as her when he heard the names, with his arms and knees bent, and his fists clenched. But then those went through his mind a second time. "Yeah....I thiiiink Mystery Twins is better. It suits us."

Mabel made a goofy face, sticking out her tongue playfully. "Yeah, I think so, too." she lifted up her fist, and the two Pines twins gave each other a fist bump, imitating a fake explosion noise.

"Boop ba da boop...Mystery Twins!"

Dipper let out a yawn as the crowd left the building later in the evening. Mabel and Pacifica gave each other a high five, and same went with Grenda and Candy. They promised to meet up next week for the most awesome slumber party.

"Man...I didn't expect that party to last that long." Dipper added, stretching.

"Me neither." Mabel agreed. "But it was awesome."

"Well, see ya kids in the morning." Grunkle Stan came by them, holding a coffee cup in his hand as she sat down on the recliner, making himself comfortable. "I'm going to be hitting the sack soon."

"Okay!" the twins walked up the stairs, but as they did so, Mabel looked over her shoulder, adding, "Thanks for the super duper awesome party, Grunkle Stan!"

"No problem." Stan smiled, then closed his eyes as he relaxed.

Dipper lied awake in his bed, the sheets over him in his bed. His eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling. Grumbling, he shifted to his side in hopes of falling asleep that way. But it didn't work, either.

"Damn it...." Dipper groaned, pinching his forehead in irritation with his fingers. "Why cant' I sleep...? At this rate, I'm going to be up all night."

His brown eyes widened when he heard a knock at the window. The sound echoed quietly in the darkness, only making the hairs on Dipper's back go up. With a jolt, he got off of the bed and made his way towards the sound.

As he did so, he could hear a sinister giggle. The level of the giggle sounded like it was behind him, but when he turned around, he didn't see anyone.

He scanned the room frantically, backing up until his back hit up against the drawer between his bed and Mabel's. "Who's there?"

The giggle occurred again but more creepier than ever. The words "Follow Me" were slowly etched into the floor, but they were glowing a light blue. The brown-haired guy's arms trembled in fear at the scene. However, the words disappeared, soon replaced by footsteps of the same color.

Baffled, but curious of what was going on, Dipper had no choice but to follow. He didn't have to worry about walking carefully. Mabel is the usual sound sleeper unless something happens to wake her up.

Dipper went to curl his fingers around the doorknob of the door when he reached it, but the door opened by itself as if by magic, creaking loudly. Dipper gasped, feeling it jump into his throat as he walked further down the hallway as the glowing footsteps increased.

The footsteps made a sharp right turn. Dipper looked in the direction of them, and saw where they were heading. The balcony...? Why there...?

His curiosity only increased as he headed towards the room going towards the balcony. The breeze from outside rushed in as Dipper closed the door behind him, but he did realize one thing: the footsteps stopped right at the entrance to the balcony.

The Pine Tree felt the wind rushing through him on his face, his short hair going along with its movement. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he looked around.

He had a gut feeling about this until he saw a radiant silhouette appear out of nowhere. It made itself present a few seconds later, showing its actual self.

The figure was masculine with short, golden hair, but the left side of his bangs were dyed with black. Over his yellow tuxedo was a sweater the same color as his hair, which had an odd, but familiar design to it. The dark pants and boots finished off the look.

But when Dipper saw that black eye and the triangle patch, it hit him.

"Bill!"


	2. Long Time, No See Villain!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill has made his appearance and explains to Dipper that he is reformed, and is a different demon that Dipper and gang infamously know. Should Dipper trust him...?

The demon gave him a smirk, letting out his usual, maniac laugh.

"Of course it's me, Pine Tree!" Bill stuck out his arms. "You haven't forgotten me, right?"

"No, I have not." Dipper gritted his teeth, jabbing an index finger in Bill's direction, causing the villain's eyes to widen. "You are not supposed to be alive! Mabel and I got rid of you when you had caused that weird apocalypse, trapping her in the bubble while you treated the townsfolk, including my Grunkle Ford, like pawns! So why the hell are you here?!"

Bill rose up his hands in protest, looking a tad uneasy. "W-Whoa, Pine Tree, relax! I know what I did in the past was because of my decisions, and I do feel bad for them, truthfully. I only chose you, Mabel, and some other people because you guys were my chosen pawns in a plan that I had wanted to set out ever since leaving my home, and resided into the Mindscape." he looked down for a moment, smiling when he looked up. "And I have to say, through all the hell I've put you guys through, I can see that you and Mabel have some potential."

"Decisions shemisions, that doesn't matter!" Dipper snapped. "And what kind of potential are you hinting at?"

"I mean that you and Mabel are quite brave and willing to save the world like I did. I must admit, I'm quite jealous of it."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're just lying about that. I can see it through your eyes."

"What?" The yellow-haired demon looked offended. "You think that a reformed villian like me is lying?Come on now, Pine Tree."

"Well, it is obvi--" Dipper's eyes widened as his mind reread Bill's question. "Wait. You're....a reformed villian?!"

"That's right. I started fresh." Bill rested his hands behind his head. "I mean, what good would it be just to reincarnate and redo my plan all over again? I put a lot of hard work into it, and it would be a hassle to set out the plan once more." he motioned a hand towards the Pine Tree." Catch my drift?"

He shifted his eyes to the left then to the right, unsure by those words. "...Not really. Even if you are a reformed villian, that doesn't mean I trust you!" He crossed his arms, lifting up an eyebrow. "I'd rather prefer you being back in your Mindscape place than here."

Bill thought on that. "Oh...about that, I can't. I encountered my family when I reincarnated, and they're pretty much disappointed in what I did. So I'm banned from the Mindscape and home for now."

"What?" Dipper exclaimed, but then thought over what he said. "Man...that's...harsh..." he slumped down his shoulders.

"Yeah." Bill sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "My family tends to be a lot more complicated and dysfunctional than human families that share an unbreakable bond or once had a bond that was broken by loss of trust or fights."

Dipper thought back when Stanley and Stanford told Dipper and Mabel about their past, how they were the best of brothers, and that one fight ended it all. It then transitioned to when Mabel had overheard Ford's question of Dipper wanting to be his apprentice, and Dipper and Mabel ended up having an argument. That is when the apocalypse happened, but even though the two had made up since then, Dipper still felt a pinch of guilt resting in his heart.

Dipper went to mention how the Stan twins could relate, but took it back; it would rather be better if he didn't. "So I am guessing you came here to apologize?"

Bill nodded, grinning. " Of course I am! Why else would I be here?" he was now leaning forward, his hands resting on his yellow cane he summoned out of the air. "But what I said at the beginning of our conversation was a basic apology. Saying ' I'm sorry' sounds too old school for a demon like me." His eyes brightened. "Oh! And I forgot. I am also staying here until I'm no longer grounded from my Mindscape or home!!"

Dipper's jaw dropped, giving the blonde demon his best Wednesday-Thursday-Friday look. "Y-You can't be serious. First you go to apologizing for what you did in the past, and now to this?!"

"Well, I don't have any other place to go, kid." Bill shrugged. "Besides, I have always liked Gravity Falls and the Shack for the peculiar features they hold. They feel...like a second home to me, basically. But I had carried out my plan from before in order to make it them my permanent home, so I can make friends and not be the outcast I was back in my realm." he then looked down at the ground. "But my power that I wielded took over me when I set out the plan, and I ended up causing chaos instead."

He could see that Dipper looked doubtful about this, shown by the tilt of the left side of his lip. "Pine Tree, I am telling the truth." Bill became a little nervous, pleading. "I really do need another place to stay."

Dipper seemed to be in thought about this, and the blonde demon was relieved to see that the uncertainty in the brown-haired man's face was disappearing.

"Okay, fine." Dipper went to say, extending his hand towards Bill, but quickly retreated it back. "This is not one of your deals, is it?"

"Unless necessary." Bill smirked, keeping that in mind. "But in this case, no."

"Alright." The Pine Tree turned around, making his way to the door. Bill didn't see him roll his eyes as he floated down to the balcony, and followed Dipper. 

However, Dipper blocked his way by sticking out his arm. 

"Promise me that you are not going to hurt Mabel and the others in any way, shape, or form." Dipper shot the former villain a glare as he said this.

"Oh, don't worry, Pine Tree!" Bill put one hand behind his back, and the other raised up as if he was swearing an oath. "I promise that I won't." A glowing halo appeared above his head.

 

Morning made its debut as Mabel stretched after she woke up. She had taken Stan's room since Stan had decided to put his retiring plans into action yesterday after the party. Dipper and Mabel even had to do rock-paper-scissors to decide.

As for Ford, he was still in his room, or what would be called the basement, making new versions of the journals, but leaving them blank in case Dipper decided to take his place.

"Morning, brobro!" Mabel went to say as she swung Dipper's bedroom door open with a joyful skip and grin, but it quickly turned into a frown. "What is he doing here?!"

Dipper had just gotten up, and was leaning forward in his bed, yawning. There were bags under his eyes, which was usual for him, but they were darker. Bill was sitting down next to his bed with a lamp cover on his head.

Bill sighed, taking the lamp cover off and setting it on the desk. He thought that Mabel wouldn't notice him, but he thought wrong.

"It's a long story." Dipper sighed, digging his fingers into his brown hair, yawning once more. 

Mabel put her hands on her hips. "Well, you should better tell me, because I don't like the looks of....of this." she jabbed a thumb in Bill's direction, causing the demon to be offended.

"Trust me, I don't like the looks of this, either." Her brother got up, and explained what happened last night.

Mabel's eyes were wide once he finished. "Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a second!" she pointed at Bill. "So you're a reformed villain now ever since you were grounded from your alternate dimension home, as well as your original home?"

Bill nodded. "I would prefer calling it banished instead of 'grounded'." he made an air quote with his fingers.

Mabel gave him a doubtful look. Oh great.... he thought. Now I'm getting that same look Pine Tree gave me from Shooting Star...

"This seems rather fishy." Mabel intersected her arms. "You could be lying about this just to turn back and cause havoc again."

"He said that he was telling the truth." Dipper told her. "And even though he is, we won't forgive him that easily."

Mabel nodded in agreement. She and Dipper both knew that it'll take a long time for them and the others that Bill targeted to forgive him.

"So what is he going to do while he's here?" Mabel questioned. "He can't just sit here, being in your room all day."

The Mystery Twins both locked their eyes on the dream demon, who shifted his eyes from one twin to the next.

"Well, we could offer him a job as an employee for the store." Dipper shrugged. "I see no other choice but that."

"But what happens if people see him? They might recognize him as Bill, but in human form." Mabel reminded him.

"And what makes you think people would recognize me?" Bill stood up, walking over to the two. "They wouldn't even know that I was the triangle demon that caused all that trouble, since it was obviously in the past. They'll see me as another normal human."

Mabel looked as if she doubted that. "Okay." she then made her way to the door. "I have to get ready first." 

As she went to close the door, she peeked her head out to Dipper. "Same goes for you, Dipper. Make sure to give Bill his employee apron." 

"Alright." Dipper agreed, and got into his suit that he set out for himself. Bill just looked straight at the door to be polite.

"Wow." he spoke up, blinking. "Shooting Star has definitely changed."

Dipper shot him a glare as he buttoned up his shirt. "Don't you even think about it, Bill!"

"Whoa, hold your horses." Bill raised his hands in protest. "I'm just in awe of how fast you two have grown up. Especially since you have a beard now. How cute!"

Dipper felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment, moving his brown eyes away from the dream demon. He straightened up his bow tie, noticing the employee apron Mabel hung on the doorknob.

Looking over to Bill, he tossed the apron to him.

"Put this on. We have to hurry downstairs."

__________________________________________

Mabel waited at the entrance of the door, scissors in hand. She had put a banner across the entrance, which read "OPENING SOON", to announce the Shack's reopening and also to keep the huge crowd from barging into it. She wore a light blue sweater that was a larger version of her hamburger and fries sweater, but with more detail. Her hair was down, resembling its usual, fluffy characteristic. 

She had made half of the Shack her own little store, since she planned to sell sweaters and props that she made on her own. She had to admit, she did a pretty good job on them, and was planning to make a blog to sell them. But she decided at the last moment not to, so she just went with the store, leaving half of it as it normally is.

Footsteps were heard descending down the stairs, and Mabel turned to see Bill with his apron on, and Dipper in his tuxedo.

"Oh, there you two are." Mabel sighed in relief, then looked over to Dipper. "I'm getting ready to cut the banner. Are you ready, Dipper?"

She threw a pair of scissors to her well-dressed brother, who caught the item successfully. "More than ever."

The twins counted down as they put the scissors near the banner. 

"...3...2...1...Ta-da!!"

They cut through the banner with ease after the last second was counted, and they celebrated it with cheer. The crowd did the same, and the twins and Bill stepped aside to let them in.

Dipper went behind the counter, and Mabel went behind her counter on the other side of the store. People came to the counters as they were making their purchases.

"Wow..." Mabel grinned in delight as she grabbed a sweater off of its hanger and gave it to a young lady, telling her the money and thanking her when she got it. "This place is packed! I didn't expect for there to be so much people."

"Well, that's a good thing." Dipper smiled in her direction. "We won't scam them like Stan did, even though we will carry out the talent he had put into this store."

Mabel nodded, and the two then got to work. Bill had asked what he was supposed to do as he saw more people come in, and Dipper informed him that he can help out the customers that need assistance or where to find the displays. 

Bill didn't think of it as a bad idea until a group of teens came walking towards him. Dipper saw them to be girls, and they seemed to have taken an interest in him. They thought he was some type of celebrity--which he wasn't, but Bill went along with it.

It really started to get on Dipper's nerves whoever, including when the fangirling started to get out of hand.

"Okay!" Dipper rushed out from behind the counter and made his way over to the teens. He stepped in between them and Bill, with both of his arms out. "That's enough! Please don't bother Mr.Cipher anymore, okay? He needs to focus on his job."

Disappointed, but not wanting to start any arguments, the teens departed. Dipper made his way back to the counter and apologizes to the customers waiting for him so they could purchase their items.

"Aaaw, you ruined the fun." Bill slumped his shoulders, pouting.

Dipper shot him a glare. "I was just making sure that those teens didn't distract you from your job, Bill."

"Oh, they didn't, Pine Tree." Bill grinned. "Besides, I can't help but be sexy." He moved his eyebrows up and down. Dipper felt his cheeks flush in humiliation, and looked away.

It was evening, and it was nearing closing time. Mabel was counting her dollars that she earned, and put them in a jar for keeping. Dipper was doing the same, but he was already finished, and put his in a drawer behind the counter. Bill hung his apron on the coat rack.

"Today was some day, wasn't it, Dipper?" Mabel grinned as she walked over to him. "I didn't expect for there to be so much people."

Her brother followed suit in expression, chuckling. "Me neither." he looked over to Bill. "I'm surprised that no one noticed you."

"I told you, Pine Tree, no one will notice me in this form." Bill shrugged with his hands on his hips. "And I must say, I'm getting used to this form already."

Dipper walked over to the sign that said "OPEN" that hung above the entrance of the door, flipping it over so those words faced him instead of "CLOSED".

Just then, Dipper could hear footsteps approaching as someone approached into the store. He thought it would be Grunkle Stan, but he doubted that; he was still used to Stan living in the Shack with them.

But instead, it was Grunkle Ford, or Ford for short. He had an exhausted look to him, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose to show it. His glasses were slightly elevated as he did so.

"God....that research took longer than I thought it would..." he let out a sigh as he yawned, fixing his glasses. He then locked his brown eyes on his niece and nephew. 

"Hey, Dipper and Mabel." he grinned. "Sorry that I didn't see you guys re-open the Shack and...why the hell is that traitor here?!"

Bill sharply turned his head around to see the old man jabbing a trembling finger in his direction. A look of pure shock was plastered on the demon's face, but he soon replaced it with an innocent smile.

"If it isn't Sixer!" he had a greeting tone to add to his smile, approaching Ford. "It feels like forever since I last saw you. And you haven't changed much, I must say."

Ford gritted his teeth as Bill's smile transitioned into a smug one. Before the demon knew it, a fist grabbed at neck of his sweater, jerking him close to Ford's face.

"Don't greet me with that innocent look of yours. You should have been dead already. Plus, I'm pretty sure you are here to kill my niece and nephew, as well as my brother. If you lay one finger on them, I swear I'll kill you a second time."

Bill laughed, catching the Author off guard. "That is so expecting of you to say, Fordsy." he said sarcastically. "But I am not going to kill your precious relatives here. I can explain why."

That means I will have to explain Bill's reforming idea all over again...Dipper exhaled. Oh happy days...

Mabel saw Dipper's expression, and decided to tell it for him. Ford gave her a completely bewildered look as she finished up the explanation. Ford released his tight grip on Bill's sweater, dropping him.

"That doesn't seem right." Ford rubbed the bottom of his chin with the palm of his hand. "He could be tricking us, and is just acting friendly and nice for his own plans."

"That's what we think, too!" the twins said at the same time, then gave each other a surprised glance that they had done that.

"But...it seems that Bill is telling the truth, Grunkle Ford." Mabel added. "But knowing him and his tricks, we are not so sure we can trust him....."

"I can see why." Ford narrowed his eyes at Bill.

Bill gritted his teeth in anger; he was getting tired of this. "Look! Shooting Star just told you the whole story! I am not lying about this! How many times will it take for you guys to understand?!" He was practically fuming now, almost turning red.

"Too many times already." Ford replied with a blunt tone. "I would never trust someone in my past that I trusted, someone that I befriended ever again. And even I did, I would rather die."

Bill's eye widened. He expected Ford to say something like that, but it still hit him deep down. Getting up from the floor, he dusted himself off, then clenching one fist, he jabbed an angry finger in the Author's direction.

""That's...exactly what the demon council and my own family said to me." His voice was breaking due to the tears welling up in his throat. "I lost their trust and devotion they had in me. But I guess with you guys...it's just too late to make amends."

The twins and the Author saw his glassy eye before he sharply turned away, and stormed up the stairs.

Silence overcame the three as they had watched the distraught demon depart. Ford removed his glasses for a moment, cleaning them off.

"Whoa..." Mabel blinked. "He sure is being Mr. Grumpy Triangle."

They looked over at Ford—who had already put his glasses back on—had his eyes set on the floor, his fists clenched.

"Grunkle Ford?" Mabel spoke up to him, concerned.

His reply came out as a mutter, which the twins couldn't make out. "What?"

"One of you guys has to go and counsel him."

Mabel and Dipper shared a glance at each other.

"I'll go." The brunette sighed, making her way upstairs.

_____________________________

Mabel looked all around for the dream demon, starting off with Dipper's bedroom. She hollered Bill's name repeatedly as she went through each room.

As she stepped outside to see if he was there instead, feeling the evening wind breeze on her face, she saw something glowing out of the corner of her eye. Assuming that it was Bill, she rushed over to where the glow was coming from.

"Bill?" she called out his name once more, but it was more in a form of a question as her brown eyes locked on him.

He was sitting on a slightly thick, but high branch of one of the trees outside of the Shack, leaning forward as he hugged his knees. His eyebrows were arched downwards, his eye set on the grass below.

His eyes widened when he heard panting and wheezing, only to turn his head around and see Mabel climbing up the tree. She was running out of breath from doing so much climbing.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, sitting herself down carefully on the branch next to bill. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Y-You have?" Bill blinked, then he noticed that tears were running down his face. He excused himself for a moment to wipe them away.

"Mm-hm." Mabel nodded, giving Bill her optimistic smile. "We all feel sorry for you because of what happened. It must be horrible to lost trust from the people you care about and love."

Bill didn't say anything to that, he shifted his attention away from Mabel.

"...We do hold a grudge against you for all the trouble and chaos you had caused. But I believe that you have some good in you, and I can see that you're trying."

Mabel rested a hand on Bill's shoulder, causing him to look at her. "Well, I'm not trying hard enough."

Mabel looked down at the ground. "I think you are, and so do Grunkle Ford and Dip. It'll....just take a long time."

Bill was quiet for a moment as he let that sink in. "Yeah, I thought so." He shrugged.

Mabel looked up at the sky, seeing that it was getting darker. She kind of felt bad for saying what she said just to cheer Bill up.

"It's getting late. We should probably get back inside."

"Good idea." Bill smiled slightly, and the two went to get off of the branch.

The branch suddenly gave way under Mabel's weight, and she went falling down. Bill witnessed what had happened, and flew down as fast as he could to save her.

She was just about to let out a terrified scream when she felt something latch onto her leg.

"Shooting Star!" Bill exclaimed, carefully lifting her up and carrying her in his arms. "Are you alright?"

Mabel blinked as she looked into the demon's eye. "I-I'm fine." She had felt a rush of blood go to her head as she was falling, so she rested a hand on her head to stop the slight dizziness. "...Thank you."

Bill nodded in appreciation as he set Mabel down once he landed lightly on the ground.

The two then made their way to the Shack, but Mabel was left being confused and unsure of why Bill had saved her.

Dipper was waiting for Mabel as he was leaning against the counte. Ford had already gone back to his basement for the night to get some sleep.

He thought it was going to be forever for her to appear when he heard the door open, seeing Bill and Mabel enter the store.

"Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed, rushing to her. "Where were you? I heard you calling Bill's name, but then I no longer heard it."

"I had gone outside to find Bill, that's why." Mabel nodded over to him. "I had talked to him, and he's feeling a little better now."

Dipper nodded. "Okay, good."

"Oh! And Bill saved me from almost falling out of a tree!"

Dipper's brown eyes widened in shock as he slowly turned his head to face the demon. He was silent for a few minutes.

"Well, I couldn't let her fall and get injured, or leave her to die, now could I?" Bill shrugged with a smug smile.

Dipper looked away from him for a moment, not really knowing what to say, except, "Thank you....Bill."

"My pleasure, Pine Tree." The demon nodded, then yawned. "It's time for me to hit the sack. See you later, nerds."

And with that, Bill floated up the stairs. Mabel and Dipper watched as he did so, then locked their brown eyes on each other.

"That was very unlike him." Dipper remarked. "But I am relieved that he saved you, Mabel."

"Yeah..." Mabel sighed, mostly out of exhaustion. "But think about it for a moment. Bill might be doing this just to cover himself. He could be acting all nice towards us just so he can get revenge on us, or even his family and the council. He is just being Mr.Angelpants for right now."

Dipper nodded. "Yeah. But I think we've discussed Bill too much today. We should get some shut eye soon."

He and Mabel proceeded to clean up the store a bit for the next day, and then Dipper remembered something.

"Oh great!" he facepalmed himself. "Bill has probably headed to my room, since I haven't gotten the guest room ready. I need to buy another bed until then, but oh my gosh....this is going to be embarrassing...."

Meanwhile, Bill had his back up against the bed, snapping his fingers to change into triangle-patterned pajamas. He was too lazy and tired to actually change, but hey, that's what magic is for.

The blonde demon almost jumped out of his skin when he heard an eerie voice in the air, saying his name. He stood up with a jolt, but was immediately sent back down by some magic force.

"Don't act so surprised, Cipher." The voice became less eerie, and more deep and mysterious.

Bill gasped. That voice was all too familiar to him.

A figure then made an appearance in the room, enveloping it in a grayscale barrier. It revealed itself to be a demon with a similar shape to Bill, but was a diamond instead of a triangle. Turning into his human form, he had a tuxedo with a dark red shirt under it. He had short, crimson hair, black eyelids, and yellow eyes. But one eye was covered by a little by his hair, but mostly by his eyepatch. Unlike Bill, he had wings....dark wings.

"Entharos!" The blonde demon exclaimed. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I am checking up on you to see if you're not up to your little 'tricks'." The crimson demon leaned forward, hands folded behind his back. "You know that you've gotten into trouble in the past due to them, since we demons despise chaos driven onto innocent humans and so on."

"I know, I know!" Bill grumbled. "You don't have to remind me."

Entharos scoffed. "I expected such of a comment like that from you. And speaking of humans, how are you treating the Pines?"

Bill wanted to shift his focus away from the 2nd leader of the Demon Council that was standing right before him, but he didn't. Entharos disliked demons that did that.

"I've been treating them alright." Bill replied. "I am no longer using them as pawns since I realized some potential in them...that they are smarter than they let on. Especially Pine Tree. Seeing how much trouble I've caused him, Shooting Star, Sixer, and the others, all I want to do is make amends. I want to change who I was...being an outcast at home, and wanting to have power to get noticed, only to have the power consume me."

Entharos raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now? You never told me that before I banished you here."

Bill was starting to become nervous by the vicious glare in the crimson demon's eye. He bit the bottom of his lip. "I-I apologize for not telling you beforehand. I am telling the truth!!"

"That's what all rogue demons like you say, Cipher." Entharos turned his body around so his back was facing the dream demon. "I would like to believe you...truly, I do. But you have lied so many times and caused so much trouble that I don't think I ever would."

He waved to Bill without turning around, a swirling rift appearing in front of him. "Have fun spending the rest of your life here."

Bill's jaw dropped open in disbelief as Entharos was gone in a flash. He slammed his fists onto the wooden floor, his eyebrows furrowing in anger.

He screamed an elongated "No!" into the air, only hearing it bounce off the walls as an echo. Looking around, he saw that the room was back to normal, flush with a dark color from the midnight sky outside. He gathered up a deep breath, and then exhaled.

"....I really need to get some sleep to forget about all of this."


End file.
